Shloka 216
Vyāsa’s Boon-Offer and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Remorse in the Forest Assembly (आश्रमवासिक पर्व, अध्याय ३६)
असमर्थो5पसरणे सुकृशे मातरौ च ते । राजन्! सारा वन आगसे घिर गया और उन लोगोंपर बड़ा भारी संकट आ गया। उपवास करनेसे प्राणशक्ति क्षीण हो जानेके कारण राजा धृतराष्ट्र वहाँसे भागनेमें असमर्थ थे, तुम्हारी दोनों माताएँ भी अत्यन्त दुर्बल हो गयी थीं; अतः वे भी भागनेमें असमर्थ थीं
asamartho 'pasaraṇe sukṛśe mātarau ca te | rājan |
Nārada disse: “Ó rei, ele não foi capaz de fugir; e também as tuas duas mães, extremamente emagrecidas, não puderam retirar-se. Suas forças haviam sido drenadas pelo jejum, e quando uma grave calamidade se ergueu na floresta, ficaram sem poder escapar.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores human frailty and impermanence: severe austerity and old age can leave one physically powerless, so ethical life must be grounded not only in resolve but also in awareness of bodily limits and the unpredictability of calamity.
Nārada reports to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) that Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the two queens, weakened and emaciated—especially due to fasting—were unable to escape when a major संकट (calamity) arose in the forest, leading to their being trapped.